New Zealand: All stories
These mayors haven't signed climate declaration
21 Feb 2019
Twenty-three local body leaders haven’t signed the Local Government Leaders’ Declaration on Climate Change.
Bank opens for e-projects money
21 Feb 2019
Applications for the latest round of Government funding for low-carbon transport projects are open.
Coal giant Glencore to limit production
21 Feb 2019
Commodities giant Glencore has bowed to pressure from shareholders to limit coal production for environmental reasons.
Big companies might leave, warns oil sector
20 Feb 2019
Cutting carbon subsidies for trade-exposed heavy emitters could see large companies leave the country, says the oil and gas sector.
Renewable energy will be tops by 2040, says BP
20 Feb 2019
Renewable energy will be the world’s main source of power within two decades, according to BP.
MONEY MYSTERY: How much will this cost us?
19 Feb 2019
Treasury expects most emitters to pay the Government a carbon fee this year instead of surrendering carbon credits – and that will cost the country money.
Changing weather could make food less safe
19 Feb 2019
Governments must pay more attention to food safety, and address the issue in their action plans to tackle climate change, say officials and researchers.
Big businesses stand shy of 1.5deg commitment
18 Feb 2019
Two large New Zealand companies making commitments to cut greenhouse gas emissions are still talking about keeping global heating below 2deg, not the 1.5deg scientists now say is the maximum the world can safely reach.
Has Coast got climate facts, Muller asks ministers
18 Feb 2019
Opposition climate spokesman Todd Muller wants to know if the Government has provided the West Coast Regional Council with evidence that human-induced climate change is real.
Farmers put climate worries on back burner
15 Feb 2019
Climate change and the Emissions Trading Scheme have fallen down the list of things worrying farmers.
Groundwater impact might take years
15 Feb 2019
While climate change makes dramatic changes to weather and ecosystems on the surface, the impact on the world’s groundwater is likely to be delayed, representing a challenge for future generations.
Emissions need multi-pronged action, says EDS
14 Feb 2019
The Emissions Trading Scheme alone will not drive the level of land-use change New Zealand will need to cut its greenhouse gas emissions, a new report says.
It's heating up on land ... and sea
14 Feb 2019
Droughts affecting in the top of the South Island and top and west of the North Island are spreading, and sea temperatures are increasing, scientists say.
Plastic waste our prime worry, survey shows
13 Feb 2019
New Zealanders are capable of making the society-wide changes needed to tackle climate change – but at the moment they’re more focused on getting rid of plastic waste.
Mâori want say in planting of marginal land
12 Feb 2019
PLANS TO TURN farms on steep country into forests could see the Government run foul of Mâori economic development plans.
ROD ORAM: Todd Muller's big year out
12 Feb 2019
National Party climate spokesperson Todd Muller has been reflecting on his year in the role.
Labs busy finding new ways to power the world
12 Feb 2019
Laboratories can make energy from greenhouse gases, power smartphones with their own radiation, and cut shipping costs naturally. And each could become reality.
OPINION: Stop feeling guilty and think of the future
12 Feb 2019
By MATTHEW ADAMS | The climate disaster future is increasingly becoming the present – and, as the evidence piles up, it is tempting to ask questions about its likely public reception.
Methane should be carbon neutral, says Niwa
11 Feb 2019
The Government’s top climate research organisation says New Zealand’s methane emissions from agriculture should be carbon-neutral.
Why solar generation will be a big player
11 Feb 2019
Solar electricity generation has a big part to play in New Zealand’s low-carbon energy future, says the operator of the national grid.
NZ tumbles down climate-action rankings
8 Feb 2019
New Zealand has fallen down the international rankings for action on climate change.
Ardern will go all out for low-carbon economy
8 Feb 2019
Transitioning to a low-carbon economy is at the top of the Government’s budget priorities this year.
Science races climate as ecosystems vanish
8 Feb 2019
The landscapes and climate in many parts of the world could be nearly unrecognizable by the end of the century if greenhouse gas emissions continue at their current pace, research suggests.
OPINION: Canberra is laughing at us
8 Feb 2019
By RICHARD FLANAGAN | Australian PrimeMinister Scott Morrison is trying to scare people about economic policy but seems blithely unaware people are already scared – about climate change.
Industrial power challenges ETS deal for farmers
7 Feb 2019
A Labour-New Zealand First coalition agreement clause that guarantees farmers they will not pay as much as other sectors for their greenhouse gas emissions – if anything at all - is being challenged by one of our biggest industrial companies.
Big Oil races to buy slice of e-car business
7 Feb 2019
For decades, oil and gas companies and utilities dismissed electric cars. Now, the old petroleum and power giants are muscling into the driver’s seat of the “new fuels” industry.
China is the big fish, says European ETS expert
5 Feb 2019
Linkages between emissions trading scheme in Europe and New Zealand are on the agenda – but it’s China that Europe is really interested in.
OPINION: The more we know, the worse it seems
5 Feb 2019
By MARK LYNAS |To get a full grasp of climate change, you need to take a geological perspective.
Ponds in your garden can fight climate change
5 Feb 2019
Ponds are good for more than just decorating the garden – they could be your best tool in fighting climate change.
How NZ could offer a home to hydrogen
4 Feb 2019
Carbon prices of $300 to $400 a tonne could make hydrogen viable in New Zealand for electricity generation, a new report says.
BP acts on shareholder demands
4 Feb 2019
BP will have to set out how its strategy and investments fit with targets to limit global temperature rise, under a new resolution.
OPINION: What a burning world tells us
4 Feb 2019
By DAVID WALLACE-WELLS | I was wilfully deluded until I began covering global warming. But extreme heat could transform the planet by 2100.
Second iwi wants inclusion of older forests
1 Feb 2019
Another major iwi is pushing for tradable carbon credits for a much wider range of forests – and says dairy farmers should be liable for emissions from their businesses.
Scientists find Scuba system can contain coal gases
1 Feb 2019
The chemical process used by Scuba divers can efficiently strip carbon dioxide out of the residue of coal-fired electricity generation, scientists say.
Coastal councils face billions in sea damage
31 Jan 2019
Billions of dollars worth of council-owned infrastructure is at risk from rising seas, says a new Local Government New Zealand report.
HEATWAVE COSTS: Dead fish and early grapes
31 Jan 2019
Last summer’s heatwave gave New Zealand its warmest summer and the warmest January on record. It lead to early grape harvests and the deaths of farmed fish.
Why we must have climate-smart farming
31 Jan 2019
Food shocks are becoming more frequent as the climate changes, prompting calls for “climate-smart” farming systems and the building up of global food reserves.
Someday soon, a tablecloth could charge our phones
31 Jan 2019
US scientists have created super-thin, bendy materials that pave the way for energy-harvesting covers ranging from tablecloths to giant wrappers for buildings.
Govt must show the way, says planning chief
30 Jan 2019
The head of the Planning Institute says the Government needs to step up and show the way for communities to plan for the impacts of climate change.
Hands off carbon price this year, says Contact
30 Jan 2019
Contact Energy is one of the companies which opposed the Government lifting the $25 carbon price cap this year.
Maori landowners back use of older forests
29 Jan 2019
Iwi involved in the Treelords settlement are backing calls for extra carbon stored in old and indigenous forests be recognised.
Why Gen Z has real power to influence business
29 Jan 2019
Armed with social media and growing economic clout, Gen Z is best positioned to influence business practices, rather than global climate agreements.
Don't ignore pre-1990 trees, foresters urge
25 Jan 2019
The Emissions Trading Scheme should be used to encourage more carbon storage in old forests, the forestry industry is telling the Government.
Scientists warn of groundwater 'time bomb'
25 Jan 2019
Climate change might be creating a groundwater "time bomb" as the world's underground water systems catch up to the impacts of global warming.
Boeing's flying car lifts off in race to revolutionise travel
25 Jan 2019
Boeing says its flying car prototype hovered briefly in the air during an inaugural test flight, part of the race to change the face of the aerospace industry within the next decade.
Free public transport is great but it’s no silver bullet
25 Jan 2019
Luxembourg's recent announcement that all public transport in the country will be free from next year was received with astonishment.
ETS proposals won't cut it, says carbon forester
24 Jan 2019
Proposed changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme alone will not trigger the forestry planting levels New Zealand needs to cut emissions – agriculture must be brought into the scheme, says one of the country’s largest forest companies.
OPINION: Climate action counts, not rhetoric
24 Jan 2019
By TODD MULLER | It was disappointing to see yesterday’s Carbon News claim that figures I had used in my recent article were “wide of the mark”.
Muller keeps Nats' climate job
23 Jan 2019
The National Party’s climate portfolio remains in the hands of Todd Muller, who kicked off the year with a row over whether his party is ambitious or a climate laggard.
Tiwai could lead way in new-deal aluminium
22 Jan 2019
The owner of New Zealand’s only aluminium smelter says the country could have a bright future producing low-emissions aluminium for a carbon-constrained world.
Watts full-throated in National’s support for Paris
Today 12:45pm
By Pattrick Smellie | Climate Change Minister Simon Watts came to this week’s Climate Change and Business Conference with nothing to announce.
Milestone for NZ Steel electrification
Today 12:45pm
By Pattrick Smellie | NZ Steel has passed an installation milestone for its new electric arc furnace, which will reduce emissions from the Glenbrook steel mill site by as much as one megatonne (1Mt) a year.
International scientists slam NZ govt's proposed approach to methane
13 Aug 2025
New Zealand's proposed approach to methane emissions has again been attacked by international climate scientists, with a new study saying the attempt to redefine climate target-setting by livestock-exporting countries undermines the transition to a sustainable and equitable food system
Vector hits emissions reduction goal five years early
Fri 5 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | Auckland lines company Vector has met its 2030 emissions reduction reduction target five years early, more than halving its direct emissions, and crediting innovation and a laser-focus for its success in a hard-to-abate sector.
NZ needs to be part of a regional SAF strategy: Z, Air NZ
Tue 9 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand needs to be part of a regional strategic approach to sourcing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), with domestic production less the aim than ensuring access to the fuel from one of a number of strategically positioned bio-refineries around the world.
Kawerau's new hope: Plan to replace coal with pine ramps up
Mon 8 Sep 2025
By Diane McCarthy, Local Democracy Reporter | Construction on a $300 million wood pellet plant in the Eastern Bay of Plenty is expected to start next month, with hopes it could cut the use of coal in New Zealand.
XRB consults on delaying climate reporting requirements
Thu 4 Sep 2025
The External Reporting Board is proposing a further two years relief for companies to adopt anticipated financial impacts reporting and scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions reporting and assurance.
